Woolly cycad
Encephalartos heenanii — the woolly cycad
Encephalartos heenanii is one of the most striking cycads Africa has produced and one of the most badly treated. Wild populations on the Barberton–Eswatini border were reduced to nothing by collecting, and the species is now regarded as extinct in the wild in South Africa.
About Encephalartos heenanii
Its signature is the thick golden-brown wool that clothes the crown and the leaf bases, set against dark green, sharply toothed leaflets. Even a modest cultivated plant has real presence.
Legitimate material exists in cultivation and is propagated by a handful of specialists, but supply is thin and prices reflect it. Documentation is the whole game here: an undocumented heenanii is a liability, not an asset.
How to identify it
- Dense golden-brown to reddish wool in the crown and along the leaf bases.
- Dark green leaflets with prominent marginal teeth, held in a V.
- Leaves arching, with a slightly twisted rachis.
- Stem short to medium, occasionally suckering.
What drives the price
- Extreme scarcity of legitimately propagated plants.
- Colour and density of the crown wool.
- Complete permit and propagation documentation.
- Expert verification with a recorded confidence score.
Among the most expensive African cycads per centimetre of caudex. Expect to pay a substantial premium and to be asked for patience — good plants change hands rarely.
Permits and paperwork
Extinct in the wild and fully protected. Nothing may be listed here without documented cultivated origin and a valid permit; we refer questionable offers to the authorities.
Read the cycad sale rulesGrowing it
Warm, humid, bright shade to filtered sun, with excellent drainage. It comes from misty escarpment forest margins, so it wants more atmospheric moisture than the blues and no hard cold.
E. heenanii questions buyers ask
Buy E. heenanii with the identification proven
Independent experts confirm the species, measurements and condition before a plant is marked verified, and every verified plant carries a Cycad Certificate recording its identity and each change of ownership.
Related species guides
All species guidesEncephalartos laevifolius
Kaapsehoop cycad
Encephalartos laevifolius, the critically endangered Kaapsehoop cycad: identification of the smooth blue-green mist-belt species, permits and listings.
Encephalartos paucidentatus
Barberton cycad
Encephalartos paucidentatus, the tall Barberton cycad with long arching leaves: identification, price drivers, permit rules and plants for sale.
Encephalartos hirsutus
Venda cycad
Encephalartos hirsutus, the critically endangered Venda cycad: identification of the blue hairy-leaved Limpopo species, permits and verified listings.
Encephalartos aemulans
Ngotshe cycad
Encephalartos aemulans, the critically endangered Ngotshe cycad: identification, cultivated availability, permit rules and verified plants for sale in South Africa.
Encephalartos altensteinii
Eastern Cape cycad
Encephalartos altensteinii, the classic Eastern Cape cycad: how to identify it, what a trunked specimen is worth, permit requirements and listings in South Africa.
Encephalartos arenarius
Alexandria cycad
Encephalartos arenarius for sale: green and true blue forms, dune habitat, growth rate, permit requirements and expert-verified South African listings.
Encephalartos brevifoliolatus
Escarpment cycad
Encephalartos brevifoliolatus, the Escarpment cycad, is extinct in the wild. What that means for collectors, how it is identified and why it is not traded openly.
Encephalartos caffer
Eastern Cape dwarf cycad
Encephalartos caffer, the stemless Eastern Cape dwarf cycad: identification, why it suits small gardens and pots, permit rules and plants for sale.
Encephalartos cerinus
Waxen cycad
Encephalartos cerinus, the critically endangered waxen cycad of KwaZulu-Natal: identification, cultivated availability, permits and verified listings.